Crews start taming Waialua fire, then wind picks up again
| • | Blazes now plague Wai'anae, taxing firefighters |
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writer
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The Waialua wildfire showed signs of slowing yesterday morning during calm weather, but the breeze picked up in the afternoon and crews expected to be there through the night again and into today — Day 6 of the fire.
"Unfortunately the weather is just not cooperating," said Capt. Frank Johnson, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman. "We didn't get the rain we were hoping for, and the wind picked up this afternoon."
Yesterday morning the flames were declared 80 percent contained and remained at that level by late afternoon. The fire has burned 6,700 acres of land.
After the wind increased, crews ramped up their efforts.
More helicopter support was called in and another engine was added. By late afternoon, that put five helicopters, four engines, two tankers and their crews fighting the hot spots.
After five days of around-the-clock efforts, nature has proven to be the biggest challenge facing firefighters as wind and unforgiving terrain impede progress. But containment is holding and, with helicopter support, the fire is at least not spreading, Johnson said.
In related developments:
City workers assisted firefighters by creating firebreaks to help prevent the spread of the Waialua brushfire. And at least one resident said a firebreak prevented the flames from reaching her house.
Dela Cruz also introduced Resolution 07-255 asking the mayor to expedite the relocation and construction of the Waialua fire station. The station is in a flood zone and too small to accommodate a water tanker.
He also hopes to meet with landowners affected by the fire to develop a plan to revegetate the charred acreage to prevent runoff when rains return.
"It's not just an isolated problem of the fire," Dela Cruz said after a tour of the fire yesterday. "All the topsoil is going into Kaiaka Bay."
Life in Waialua yesterday was getting back to normal for Waialua resident Jacob Ng, with the air cleared and a breeze blowing toward the mountain. But Ng was thinking about past fires and their threats to the community.
He would like to see firebreaks, especially to protect the gulches from catching fire, because once the flames go into the narrow valley, firefighters can't do much and the gulch acts as a chute carrying the blaze straight to the community, Ng said.
Now with the threat of fire somewhat under control, he worries about runoff and the damage it can do to the ocean. He said he supports efforts to replant all of those burned acres because heavy rains would harm the ocean ecosystem.
"It's going to be even worse than the fire itself," Ng said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.
